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Procuring Opportunity: A Procurement and Reverse Vendor Fair for Small Businesses

The Baltimore Integration Partnership is pleased to partner with the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce and BLOCAL to host a reverse vendor fair on February 15th at Morgan State University. Presentations and panel discussions will focus on “Working with Institutions & Large Businesses,” “Certifications and Government Contracting,” “Constructing the City,” “Makers Matters” and “BLOCAL 101.” Hear from and meet directly with procurement leaders at large institutions and businesses to learn about their purchasing processes and policies. Connect with a range of small business resource partners and learn about business development programs. More Information and Registration.

Made in Baltimore Business Development Workshop Series

Made in Baltimore, in partnership with the BIP, is hosting a series of FREE workshops for local makers and manufactures to support their growth and development. Workshops will be held monthly at OpenWorks. Upcoming workshop topics include Product Presentation (1/30) and Brand Licensing and Intellectual Property (2/20). Visit the Made in Baltimore website for more information and registration.

Humanim Recruiting for Administrative Assistant Training Program

Launching their 7th cohort, Humanim is seeking out candidates to participate in a 9 week long job training program preparing Baltimore City and County residents for employment in administrative positions. Participants are trained in office skills, such as Microsoft Office Suite, and go through an extended training program to receive nationally recognized certifications. Human Resource leaders from nearly a dozen higher education institutions and hospitals help guide the program forward, participate in mock interviews, job shadowing and consider the graduates for hiring opportunities. Recruiting for the next cohort is currently open. Learn more about the program.

BIP Director Transitioning

After 8 years of leading the Baltimore Integration Partnership, I am transitioning to take an opportunity at LifeBridge Health where I will lead community development and help support their anchor institution strategies. Thank you for helping shape an amazing and impactful initiative. Our success has relied on your work, your lifting, and commitments to Baltimore. I look forward to continuing to stay engaged with the BIP and all of you as I switch chairs around the table. We have gotten a lot done but there is still much work ahead.

Philadelphia’s Anchors for Growth and Equity (PAGE) is a new partnership between the Economy League, the City of Philadelphia and more than a dozen Philadelphia-area institutions that works to increase local purchasing by large institutional buyers to grow Philadelphia businesses, strengthen the local economy, create jobs, and build wealth. The BIP Director, Kurt Sommer, provided key note remarks as PAGE officially launched in late November. The remarks reflect on the experiences of the Baltimore Integration Partnership including efforts to set goals, address equity, initiate purchasing strategies, make a business case for inclusion, and collaborate with partners towards a common agenda. Read the Event Remarks and press coverage: ‘This is a business proposition … not charity:’ Philly’s eds and meds buy-local program debuts

Meet the MakersA partnership with Made in Baltimore, the Port Covington Impact Team, and the BIP led to a strategy that kicked off this fall to connect the buying power of institutions and retail businesses to businesses that make and produce goods in Baltimore City. In early November, the collaboration led to a two-staged event hosted at the magnificent Sagamore Pendry Baltimore Hotel. Procurement representatives from the institutions as well as buyers from retail and other businesses were invited to “Meet the Makers” – a selection of over 20 businesses that make and produce goods in Baltimore City. The direct time enabled the buyers to engage with the businesses and learn more about their products and services. The second stage of the event was open to the public and designed to generate direct sales. More than 300 individuals attended the event. The initiative also includes a series of ongoing workshops to support business development and growth. Check Out Video Coverage of the Event. Didn’t get a chance to go? Be sure to Visit the Made in Baltimore store for your holiday shopping needs.

Creating Opportunities through Local FoodContinuing efforts to help catalyze and leverage the growing portfolio of Baltimore food businesses, the BIP partnered with City Seeds and School of Food this year to connect food service procurement representatives with local, small, and minority owned food and beverage entrepreneurs. This initiative included the planning, coordination and development of a local food business matching strategy for seven organizations that opted into the initiative. Purchasing needs were assessed through one on one meetings and technical assistance was made available to support the businesses during the process. Four of the seven participating organizations progressed to a stage of implementation. Outcomes included the launch of popup at LifeBridge Health that featured 7 business and led to ongoing sales with two; University of Maryland Medical Center purchased a Made in Baltimore cold case that features products from 6 local businesses in their cafeteria; Maryland Institute College of Art initiated contracts with four firms; and Sagamore Hospitality is incorporating local businesses and products in a range ongoing catering, gifts, and promotional activities.

Government Roles and Recommendations to Grow Economic Inclusion in BaltimoreWhat are the roles of government in fostering economic inclusion? What policy recommendations and actions should Baltimore stakeholders pursue to advance inclusion? The last chapter and the conclusion of “Collectively We Rise: The Business Case for Economic Inclusion in Baltimore” explores these two questions. The sections review existing city and state policies and programs that set out inclusionary opportunities for individuals, businesses and communities. Examples include minority business participation requirements, local hiring requirements, workforce development programs and key community development programs.

The conclusion finds that training to overcome implicit bias and structural racism enables institutions, businesses, and their employees to better understand and modify policies, practices, and behaviors to address historical dynamics and the racialized context of economic inclusion strategies. Further, it finds that any Baltimore-area business or anchor institution, regardless of its size or the resources available to it, can make contributions to economic inclusion. Finally, the conclusion details a variety of tools, recommendations and policy actions that businesses, institutions, public partners, and other stakeholders can take to create greater economic opportunities for Baltimore.
Read: Chapter 5: What Is The Role of Government In Fostering Increased Economic Inclusion In The Baltimore Region?
Read: Conclusions and Key Recommendations

The Baltimore Integration Partnership is funded by the national Living Cities Integration Initiative, the Surdna Foundation and receives generous local support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Goldseker Foundation, Associated Black Charities, The Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative and the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers (ABAG). ABAG acts as a backbone organization, coordinating and staffing the partnership.

Economic inclusion efforts in Baltimore have been occurring in the area for decades, although they have grown substantially in both number and scope in recent years. These efforts offer a wealth of insights into common challenges and successful approaches for addressing them. To inform future efforts, both in Baltimore and elsewhere, the BIP is pleased to feature a new chapter from Collectively We Rise: The Business Case for Economic Inclusion in Baltimore that highlights some of the key lessons from these prior efforts. It does this by first describing five common challenges to economic inclusion including institutional/business culture, community engagement, internal capacity, finding qualified firms and finding qualified labor. The chapter then presents strategies that Baltimore businesses and anchor institutions have utilized to overcome them. A sixth challenge is also identified representing the work still ahead for Baltimore.

Made in Baltimore, which aims spur re-investment in Baltimore City by growing the market for locally-produced goods, is partnering with BIP anchor institutions for a new initiative to connect the buying power of large businesses and institutions to smaller Baltimore City businesses that make products and goods locally. BIP anchor institutions have been asked to explore smaller procurement mechanisms like bookstores and gift shops, marketing departments as well as development offices that typical buy items for the institution or for resale to students, faculty, and staff. The initiative will include interviews to better understand these purchasing processes and opportunities as well as business development workshops and a vendor fair at the Sagamore Pendry Hotel on November 2nd made possible through the support of the Port Covington Impact Team. Public event details to come. Interested vendors are invited to apply here or contact Rachel Bone. At a project kick-off meeting last week, anchor institution representatives and small business owners from SewLabs USA, Urban Roots, and Alpha Graphics talked about what it takes for these types of approaches to be successful. Kim Bryden of City Seeds and Cureate Connect noted that “many of the institutions measure their spend in millions and billions of dollars but it’s the $2,000 to $5,000 monthly purchasing order that can change an entrepreneurs life.” Made in Baltimore has certified over 200 businesses that produce products in the City including many smaller and artisan related firms.
Humanim Admin Program Kicks-Off Third Year with New Co-Cohort

Fourteen new students (a 15th already landed a job) began their training and preparation in August towards a Microsoft Office Specialist Certification, and the Professional Administrative Certificate of Excellence. The program, in its third year, will target approximately 30 students over two cohorts supported by Maryland’s EARN program. Human Resource leaders from nearly a dozen higher education institutions and hospitals help guide the program forward, participate in mock interviews, job shadowing and consider the graduates for hiring opportunities. Last year, 26 of the 30 program participants graduated and 25 were placed in jobs predominately at the institutions. Recruiting for the next cohort is currently open and the first recruitment session will be held on January 8, 2019. Employers who are in need of hiring administrative support, please contact Humanim for further inquiries. For all information please contact career-training@humanim.org.

MICA’s BCAN Program Founder Fellows are “Paying it Forward”

Launched late last year, the Baltimore Creatives Acceleration Network (BCAN) provides strategic and as-needed, just-in-time entrepreneurship support for Baltimore creatives of all disciplines and backgrounds. The program is hosted at MICA but businesses receive aligned development support from Open Works, Six Point Pictures, Eubie Blake Jazz + Cultural Center, ETC, and The Foundry while receiving pro bono legal support from DLA Piper. Founder Fellows were profiled recently in Technical.ly, two were highlighted in the Best of Baltimore, and have been covered in Ebony, Essence, Baltimore Magazine, Baltimore Magazine and Taproot Magazine. Members of the first cohort of Founder Fellows are 3/4 of the way through their program and will be offering nine free “Pay It Forward” workshops for the public including the next one on 10/9 as part of Baltimore Innovation Week.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Recruiting for Next Class

The GS10KSB program helps entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing greater access to education, capital and business support services. The program is administered through collaboration between Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, and Baltimore County Community College. In August, sixty-nine entrepreneurs graduated from the program bringing the total number of graduates to 125. The program is currently accepting applications for the next cohort – the deadline to apply is September 30th.

The Baltimore Integration Partnership is funded by the national Living Cities Integration Initiative, the Surdna Foundation and receives generous local support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Goldseker Foundation, Associated Black Charities, The Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative and the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers (ABAG). ABAG acts as a backbone organization, coordinating and staffing the partnership.

What Is Economic Inclusion – And Why Is This Concept So Important for Baltimore?

These key questions are the focus of Chapter 1 of the new BIP Report Collectively We Rise: The Business Case for Economic Inclusion in Baltimore. Released at the Impact Hub on June 29th, the report documents best practices and lessons learned from ongoing economic inclusion initiatives and finds that the strategies create benefits for individuals, businesses, and institutions. The report highlights dozens of inclusion strategies undertaken by anchor institutions, businesses, nonprofits, and public partners leveraging purchasing, hiring, and reinvestment powers to create community benefits. The report concludes by calling for broader participation by businesses and institutions as well as a series of people-focused investments and policies.

Chapter 1 of the report defines economic inclusion and explores the roots of poverty, the fallout from disinvestment and discriminatory practices, and identifies key strengths and opportunities Baltimore can build on. The Chapter finds that during the Great Recession, the number of African-American businesses in Baltimore grew by more than 60% from 14,644 in 2007 to 23,600 in 2012. It also finds that Baltimore has billions of dollars in new and planned investment, numerous anchor institutions that are the city’s largest employers, a strong cohort of workforce development providers and over 30 business development programs to help facilitate economic inclusion. #collectivelywerise

Port Covington – Are You Ready to BID? Vendor Open House

Port Covington is a 235-acre master-planned, mixed-use redevelopment project, with a prime location on the waterfront in Baltimore City. On Friday, July 27th from 8:30 to 10:00, an open house will be held at City Garage located at 101 W. Dickman Street. Vendors are invited to learn more about the project, the project’s diversity business goals, and qualifications for contractors. Registration via Eventbrite is required.

Baltimore Hosts National Anchor Collaborative Convening

Through a partnership with the Democracy Collaborative, The Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Baltimore Branch, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the BIP was pleased to help welcome over 135 individuals from aspiring, developing and mature anchor collaboratives from over 30 cities on June 11th and 12th. The event included a tour and overview of local economic inclusion strategies led by Maryland Institute College of Art, Humanim, Loyola, Johns Hopkins, Bon Secours, Kaiser Permanente, University of Maryland Medical Center, and the University of Maryland Baltimore. Through facilitated sessions, BIP stakeholders joined with their peers from other cities to determine how to strengthen local and national anchor institution strategies. View Event Photos

Made in Baltimore Releases The State of Urban Manufacturing: Baltimore City Snapshot

Produced through a partnership with the Urban Manufacturers Alliance, Made in Baltimore released a new study to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Baltimore City’s ‘maker economy’. The bulk of the study analyzes a survey of nearly 100 business owners in Baltimore’s light-manufacturing sector. The analysis characterizes the sector through various lenses, including company size, ownership, revenue, product types, and more. It also explores the barriers to growth as identified by the business owners themselves, and provides recommendations to address those barriers. To help facilitate support for this sector, the report includes a series of recommendations focused on capital, workforce, production space and several for anchor institutions. Read the Baltimore City Snapshot

Family Supporting Jobs in the Baltimore Region

The Baltimore Metropolitan Council released the 2018 Family Supporting Jobs Report. The report is a comprehensive assessment of the employment opportunities in family-supporting jobs in central Maryland. Family-supporting jobs are defined as occupations that pay an hourly wage that allows working adults with less than a bachelor’s degree to provide for their family’s needs. The report forecasts demand in family-supporting jobs across a range of sectors, and measures of education, work experience, and training. In the region, the following sectors are expected to offer the highest number of family-supporting job opportunities: construction, business services, and healthcare. Among other factors, the report looks at work experience and on-the-job training requirements to help people better understand the credentials typically expected for various positions. It also identifies the top 50 family-supporting occupations by total demand, median hourly wage, and new job growth. Read the Report (Link to Google Drive for 120 MB File)

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–The Baltimore Integration Partnership is funded by the national Living Cities Integration Initiative, the Surdna Foundation and receives generous local support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Goldseker Foundation, Associated Black Charities, The Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative and the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers (ABAG). ABAG acts as a backbone organization, coordinating and staffing the partnership.

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Workforce Resources in Baltimore: An Employer’s Directory to Support Local Hiring and Workforce Development

A collaborative project of the BIP and Central Baltimore Partnership, this new directory of Baltimore nonprofit and public workforce development organizations is now available to help employers and community stakeholders find workforce partners to meet hiring needs. It summarizes the work of more than 45 organizations that support Baltimore City workers by offering skills training, eliminating barriers to employment, and facilitating job placement.